Second Trump impeachment process begins
Democrats formally introduced an article of impeachment against Donald Trump. The US president is accused of “incitement of insurrection” in last week’s attacks on the US Capitol. The House of Representatives will vote on the article on Wednesday unless Mike Pence, the vice president, invokes the 25th amendment, which would allow him and a majority of cabinet members to declare Trump unfit for office. Trump’s term ends on 20 January, but an impeachment would bar him from future elections and the Senate could convict Trump after he leaves office. Sources: BBC, CNBC, DW, The Guardian, NPR and Straits Times.
FBI warns of more Trump supporter violence
An internal FBI memo said armed pro-Trump protestors plan to rally in Washington and all 50 state capitols in the four days leading up to the inauguration of Joe Biden as US president on 20 January. Sources: BBC, Fox News, Reuters and USA Today.
Parler sues Amazon for ending web hosting
The right-wing social network Parler sued Amazon after the tech giant booted Parler off Amazon Web Services. Parler was allegedly used to help coordinate last week’s attacks on the US Capitol, with Amazon reportedly citing 98 examples of incitement to Parler. Sources: Bloomberg, Financial Times, NPR and The Register.
Merkel troubled by Twitter ban
The German chancellor Angela Merkel said via her spokesman that Twitter’s suspension of Donald Trump’s account was “problematic”. Merkel reckons that private companies should not regulate speech. Sources: AFP, DW, Financial Times and Politico.
No herd immunity this year, says WHO
Despite covid-19 vaccines becoming available, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said: “We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021.” Sources: AFP, Axios, DW and The Guardian.
Latest Luxembourg covid-19 update
The reproduction number in the grand duchy increased to 1.06, above the target threshold of 1.00, on Sunday. The previous figure, reported for Thursday, was 0.88. Two people died due to the virus, bringing the national total to 535. Sources: Delano and health ministry.
Moderna vaccine delivery to grand duchy
The first 1,200 doses of the Moderna covid-19 vaccine (out of more than 100,000 ordered) arrived in Luxembourg on Monday. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.
Lux-Swiss fintech gets funding from big banks
HQLAX, a blockchain startup, closed a €14.4m series B funding round from BNY Mellon, Goldman Sachs, BNP Paribas Securities Services, Citigroup and Deutsche Börse Group. Sources: Delano, Finextra, Ledger Insights and Paperjam.
Lux police recruitment drive bearing fruit
More than 800 people applied to be a Luxembourg police officer. There are 200 places at the police academy this year. Sources: L’essentiel and RTL.
Brexit on Dutch TV
Dutch customs officers were seen seizing ham sandwiches from a British driver on TV station NPO 1. “Welcome to Brexit, sir, I’m sorry,” an agent said. Sources: AFP, BBC, The Guardian and the Telegraph.
US tariffs on EU goods take effect
New US tariffs on European aircraft parts and wine begin today, as part of transatlantic trade tensions that the European Commission hopes to reduce with the new Biden administration. Sources: AFP, Bloomberg, Euronews and Reuters.
Dr Martens to have IPO
Permira, the company that makes the iconic British boots Dr Martens, plans to list 25% of Dr Martens shares, valuing the firm at £3bn. Sources: CNN, Financial Times, The Guardian and NPR.
Musk sends up wrong Signal
The SpaceX and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk said he was shifting to the encrypted messaging service Signal, encouraging his Twitter followers to “use Signal”. That pushed up shares in a company called Signal Advance, which has absolutely nothing to do with the app, up by more than 400%. Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, Marketwatch and Seeking Alpha.
Advice from people with super stressful jobs
People with high pressure jobs, like an air traffic controller and trauma surgeon, shared tips on managing stressful situations with Popular Science.
First Michelin green star in Luxembourg
Chef René Mathieu of the Distillerie at Bourglinster castle has received Luxembourg’s first Michelin green star, which recognises sustainable fine dining. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.
Sex in the City back, but without Kim Cattrall
HBO said it would reboot the cult 1990s-2000s TV show Sex in the City, as And Just Like That, but without Samantha. Sources: BBC, The Guardian and Variety.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald